RCPA received notification today from the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) and the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) that the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act was included in Congress’s proposed year-end package. Key provisions included in this bill include:
Administration for Community Living (ACL)
- Reauthorizes the State Partnership Program and Protection & Advocacy Program.
- Allows grants to be used to support systems of care for people of any type of acquired brain injury.
- Allows a state to request a waiver of the match requirement if they cannot meet the match to carry out the grant purposes. The match decrease can only be for that fiscal year, and states must maintain at least the match that they have had during the previous fiscal year.
- Requires ACL in awarding State Partnership Program grants to take into consideration populations that may be at higher risk for brain injury.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Reauthorizes the CDC’s TBI Programs, including the National Concussion Surveillance System.
- Renames the TBI Program to honor Congressman Bill Pascrell.
- Requires an examination of brain injury as a chronic condition that may impact someone across the lifespan. CDC plans to accomplish this through work with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
- Requires CDC to review those who may have higher impact of brain injury, including due to their occupation and from interpersonal violence.
RCPA encourages providers, staff, and families to reach out to their members of Congress through email or phone call by COB Thursday, December 19, 2024. The message can be simple. For example:
As a constituent, I encourage you to support the year-end continuing resolution, which includes the TBI Act. The TBI Act is pivotal to create systems of care for people of brain injury. [Feel free to share any personal impact] Thank you for your support of this important bill.
In Pennsylvania, our current state Senators are:
Casey, Robert P., Jr. and
Fetterman, John
Additional information for contacting your Senators can be found here.